Printing press



C. S. CRAFTS PRNTING PRESS Filed July 10, 1931 S @ma m,

Unome/s.

Aug. 14, 1934.

Patented ug. 14, 1934 PATENT @FFEQE PRINTING PRESS Curtis S. Crafts,ak Park, Ill., assigner to The Goss Printing Press Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application July 10, 1931, Serial No. 549,950

Claims.

My invention relates to printing presses and it has for its object the provision of a new and improved form and arrangement of means for driving the several press and folder units where- 5; by a smoother and more even operation may be attained than heretofore, and whereby there shall be a very great flexibility in the matter of the connection of the several units so that ak great variety of products may be produced. V' It is one Vof the objects of my invention to provide an improved arrangement whereby the several units of a press may be driven by a like number of motors, with each motor adapted particularly for the operation of itsown individual unit to best advantage at the predetermined desired speed by positively-acting driving connections between the. motor and the unit, and with the parts arranged in an improved manner whereby the several units may be glouped in a variety of ways and with the motors arranged 4in such manner that they can conveniently and readily be grouped in the same way, the motors being connected in such manner mechanically in the various groupings as to -cause them to operate smoothly together at all 'times It is one of the objects of my invention to arrange my improved press and driving means in such manner as to minimize the effect of vibraspeeds without undue stresses and strains on the parts. To this end, it is one of my objects to provide an improved arrangement whereby the motors shall be mounted as nearly as is prac- 35. tical independently of the frame-work which 'supportsthe printing cylinders and associated cooperating parts. It is another object of my invention to provide an improved arrangement of the motors wherebythe driving -connections 40. between the motors and the units shall interfere as little as possible with the handling of the press and the webs and as little as possible with the adjustments and other operations in connection with the inking mechanisms. To this ,45. end, it is one of, my objects to provide for the location of the motors at a lower level than vthat ofthe press units, leaving the Ventire press floor space available for the control of the press units and leaving the space above the press` open so far as possible Vfor the manipulation of the webs of paper in preparing the press for operation,

and so as to leave room above the lformand impression cylinders for any auxiliary press parts as may be desired for operation upon selected *551 ones of thewebs printed bythe main press.

tion, whereby the press may be run at highv It is another object of myri'nvention to' improve printing presses in sundry details hereinafter pointed out. The preferred means by which I have accomplished my several objects are illustrated in the drawing and are hereinafter specifically described. VThat which I believe to be new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the claims.

1n the drawing, whichV is more or less grammatic throughout,

Fig. 1 is a .side view of4 a printing press embodyingV one form of my improvements, and showing the driving means for the press units located below the press; Y

Fig. 2 is a view of one of thepress units as shown in Fig. 1 but upon an enlarged scale lwith additional parts illustrated; and

Fig. 3 is a view of a `fragmf-:ntary portion of my improved press as seen at the far end of the press unit shown in Fig. 2, as seen substantially at the line 3-3 of said Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, in which corresponding'parts are indicated by the same reference characters, 10 indicates a heavy framework, upon which unit frames 1,1, 12, 13, y14 and 15 are mounted in alignment with each other in the form of construction as shown in Fig. 1, the several unit frames being joined together at their upper end portions by a heavy framev bar 16. As will be readily appreciated, theunit frames 11, 13 and 14 comprise portions of press units each of which is provided with a pair of printing couples adapted for perfecting a web 17. The unit frames 12 and 15 comprise portions of folder units of any approved type, each of said folder units being illustrated with a. web 18 in positiontherein. The press Units 1l, 13 and 14 and the-press units 12 and 15 are designed to be of any approved type.l

Eachfof the press units 11, 13 and 14 in the form shown inY my drawingis designed to be of the ktype shown in Fig. 2,` comprising impression cylinders 19 and 20, form cylinders 2l and 22, inkingdrums 23, 24, 25 `and 26, numerous ink rollers 27, ink fountains 28 and ductor rollers 29, together with the ordinary well-known actuating means for such parts. In the construction shown, each of the form cylinders 21 and 22 is supported by a shaft 30, being driven by bevel gears 3l and 32 mounted upon said shafts 30 and upon a shaft 33 carriedby bearing brackets 34.- substantially opposite the ends of the form and impression cylinders. As is clearly shown in Fig. 3, the impressionjcylinder andform cylinder of each printing couple of the` press unit are con-v diassi

nected by means of intermeshing gears 35 and 36 at the far side of the press as shown in Fig. 2.

Upon the frame 37, preferably comprising a floor structure, I have provided individual motors 38, 39, 40, 41 and 42 for the several units 1l, 12, 13, 14 and l5 as above described. Each of said motors isv connected at one end byV means of a coupling V43 witha shaft section 44, all Vof said motors being in alignment with each other underneath the press comprising the sections 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. is supported by standards 45 at each end portion thereof. Each of said shafts 44 connected' with the motor next adjacent thereto ,atp the left in said Fig. 1 by means of a clutch 4 6,Y each of said clutches being of any approved type whereby the motors and shaft sections may be releasably connected together.` Upon'each shaft' section 44, I have provided a clutch.47 for re-` leasably connecting such shaft section with a sprocket gear loosely mounted upon such shaft section, such loosely mounted sprocket Vgear being connected by means of a sprocket chain with an oppositely disposed sprocket gear fixedly mounted upon the corresponding units 11, 12, 13, 14 and l5 of the press. In the construction. shown, the iive sprocket chains referred to are indicated respectively by the numerals 48, 49,A 50, 51 and 52. In the construction shown, the sprocket gears at the upper ends of the sprocket chains 48, 50 and 51 are mounted upon the shafts 33 of the press units, while the sprocket gears for the folder units 12 and'15 are mounted upon horizontally disposed shafts 53 forming parts of the operating mechanisms of said units.

ByY the use of my improved construction as illustrated and as above described, an individual motor is provided for each of the units of the press, such motor being of a type adapted for driving the corresponding unit at the desired speed of rotation. WhenY a single unit is to be driven alone, the clutches 46 at opposite sides of the corresponding motor are disconnected, while the clutch 47 of the corresponding motor is thrown into operation. When Vthe entire pressY is to be operated except for a single unit to be left idle, all of the clutches 46 and 47 would be connected except for the clutch 47 of the idle unit. As will be readily understood, my improved arrangement provides for a very wide range of smooth and even, since any combination of units is operated at all times by a corresponding group of motors designed specifically for the operation of such grouping of units. By reason of having the motors located on a frame-work independently ofthe frame which supports the press units, the vibration produced by the operation of theV motors at high speed is transmitted very little if any at all to the press,V whereby operation at high speeds is rendered much less objectionable.V

By reason of the location of the motors below the press rather than at some-other location, the driving connections between the motors and the' press units are kept out of the way, leaving the' entire press floor available for the operators, and leaving the entire space above the press available fo-r use for locating auxiliaryY printing and web handling mechanism if desired. By the use of chain driving means from the motor direct to the unit, the number of meshingconnections between the cylinders and the motors is very Each shaft section ltion is not limited thereto except so far as the claims may be so limited by the prior art.

I claimrl. In aprinting press, the combination of a frame, a plurality of press units mounted on said frame. in alignment with each other therealong, a folder unitmcunted on said frame in alignment with said press units, individual motors for the several units located below the umts with their drive shafts in alignment with each other, auxiliary shafts between 'each' two adjacent motor shafts and in alignment with'said motor shafts, Va supporting bearing for each of said aux-l iliary shaftsV at eachend portion thereof, couplings between each of said auxiliary shafts and the motor shaft at one end thereof, clutches for connecting each of said auxiliary shafts With the motor shaft at the opposite endand`endless belt driving connections extending downwardly from each of said units and connected at its-lower end portion kwith one of said auxiliary shafts.

2. In a printing press, the combination of a frame, a plurality of vpress units mounted on saidV frame in alignment with each other therealong, a folder unit mounted on said frame in align- Yment with said press unita-individual motors for the several units locatedbelow the units with their drive shafts in alignment with each other, auxiliary shafts between each two adjacent motor shafts and in alignment with said motor shafts, a supporting bearing for each of said auxiliary shafts at each end portion thereof, couplings between each of said auxiliary shafts and the motor shaft at one end thereof, clutches for connecting each of said auxiliary shafts with the motor shaft at the opposite end, endless belt driving means for each of said units, and clutch means for releasably connectingv each of said auxiliary shafts with the endless belt driving lmeans for 'one of said units. Y

3. In a printing press, the combination of. a

t frame, a plurality of press units mounted on said frame in alignment with each other therealong with the printing couple cylinders of the several units substantially parallel with each other transverselyv of said frame, a folder unit mounted on'said frame inalignment with said press "units, individual motorsfor the several units located below the units with their driving shafts in alignmentwith each other, means for releasably connecting selected onesY of said motors together for operation in unison, a sprocket gear mounted on each of said press units substantially opposite the ends 'of the form and impression cylinders thereon so as to rotate in a plane extending longitudinally of the cylinders, driving connections between the sprocket gear of each unit and the cylinders of said unit' for driving said cylinders, and means for driving said units from said motors comprising endless belt driving connections extending downwardly 'from the sprocket'gear of each press unit to the corresponding motor.I Y

' 4. In` a printingpress, thecombination of a base frame, a Yplurality of unit frames lmounted o'n said base frame', a pair of printing couples comprising a press unit mounted on each of said unit frames, a motor for each of said units supported below the unit and each adapted for driving its particular unit at the prescribed speed of rotation independently of the other units, positively-acting driving connections between each motor and its unit in the form of an endless chain operating in a plane extending transversely of said base frame, and means connecting said motors serving With each motor driving its particular unit to keep the motors in timed relation for synchronous operation of the several units.

5. In a printing press, the combination of a base frame, a plurality of unit frames mounted on said base frame, a pair of printing couples comprisving a press unit mounted on each of said unit frames, a motor for each of said units supported below the unit independently of the unit frame and each adapted for driving its particular unit at the prescribed speed of rotation independently of the other units, shaft means extending longitudinally of said base frame serving to connect said motors in a series for causing the motors to rotate in timed relation, a sprocket gear xedly mounted on said shaft means adjacent to each of said motors so as to rotate With said motor, a sprocket gear rotatably mounted on each of said unit frames substantially opposite the printing couples in the same plane as that in which the rst named sprocket gear for said unit is rotated, means for driving each of said printing couples from the sprocket gear opposite thereto, and positively-acting endless chain means connecting the sprocket gear of each of said units with the sprocket gear of the corresponding motor serving to cause said units to operate in synchronisrn with each unit driven by its individual motor.

CURTIS S. CRAFTS. 

